The invention relates to an arrangement for the depositing of flowable masses in the shape of drops or strips onto a transport belt traveling therebeneath.
These types of arrangements are known from German Patent Documents DE 28 53 054 and DE 29 41 802 and are preferably used for the production of granulates or tablets. For this purpose, the material may be heated and fed under pressure to the interior of a cylindrical container. The transport belt may be driven, and an exterior drum set into rotation in such a manner that the circumferential area of the drum facing the transport belt moves in the same direction as the belt. As soon as the openings of the rotating drum are congruent with those of the interior cylindrical container, a strip or drop of the viscous mass is pressed through the openings and falls onto the transport belt situated underneath. There, the individual pieces solidify, possibly promoted by a cooling of the transport belt, and may be taken off the belt in the form of granulates or tablets.
In order to keep the drum free of residual material that has protruded from the drum but has not dropped off, and to avoid resulting operating disturbances, guides are provided which surround the drum in such a manner that a narrowing gap is formed between the guide and the drum which narrows continuously in the rotating direction. The guide therefore carries out the function of pressing the residual material back into the openings on the drum. That material will later be dispensed when the respective openings become congruent again with the openings of the interior container. Such a guide renders a scrape-off device superfluous and, in comparison to such a scrape-off device, has the advantage of recycling the residual material in a manner which is simple and ensures that the material will not be wasted.
In the known arrangements, the mounting of the guide takes place in a rigid yet detachable manner by means of a fastening rod or angle brackets which, as a rule, are mounted above the transport belt and above the drops carried on the belt. The vapors rising from the drops may condense on the fastening parts and lead to an impairment of the mounting function.
It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement of the afore-mentioned type where the parts are arranged in a manner that is advantageous with respect to maintenance and servicing.